Roman Republic/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby A boy, Tim, walks into his bedroom. A robot, Moby, is balancing two piles of sand on a balance scale. TIM: Hey. Moby is startled. He drops all of the sand onto one side of the scale, throwing it out of balance. TIM: Oops. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, How was the Roman Republic governed? From, Polly TIM:During the republican period of Rome, citizens of elected representatives who ran things on everyone's behalf. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right. That's the same way we do it today in republics like America. Our modern-day government has the Romans to thank for its structure. Rome was run by three main branches of government. And each branch had a little bit of control over the other. Image illustrates the governmental structure as Tim describes it. TIM: Sound familiar? Moby nods. TIM: The oldest and most powerful branch of the Roman Republic was the Senate. The Senate was controlled by patricians. These were noblemen who owned big pieces of land and had lots of money. An image shows a Roman senator speaking to the Senate. TIM: It was the Senate's job to decide how Rome behaved toward its neighbors. An image shows a Roman senator examining a map. TIM: The Senate also controlled the way Rome's money was spent. An animation shows three bags of money labeled Defense, Rome Improvement, and Education. TIM: The second branch of the government was the Assembly. The Assembly was made up of representatives elected by the plebeians. Plebeians were regular folks, tradesmen, craftsmen, small farmers, basically everybody who wasn't a slave or a nobleman. An image shows two men talking to each other in the middle of an assembly. One is dressed in white. The other is dressed in everyday clothing. Each man has a group of similarly dressed men behind him. TIM: The Assembly worked to protect the rights of the plebeians. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, the plebeians needed protection because they didn't know what their rights were. The patricians were the only ones who knew all of Rome's laws. The plebeians had to trust that the courts would treat them fairly, and that didn't always happen. Animations show interactions between patricians and plebeians. In each of them, patricians are taking advantage of plebeians. TIM: In 494 BCE, the plebeians revolted in protest, seceding from the city and setting up camp outside its walls. An image shows small tents set up outside the walls of a large city. TIM: To end the revolt, the patricians let the plebeians form the Assembly. An animation shows the plebeians reentering the city. TIM: The patricians also agreed to write the republic's laws down on tablets and post them in the Forum for all to see. An image shows a group of Romans in the Forum, examining the written laws. MOBY: Beep. TIM: The Forum had been the center of public life since before the Republic. It began as a simple outdoor market. Over the years, it became a gathering place for everything from political speeches, to criminal trials, to military parades. Animations illustrate Tim's description of the evolution of the Forum. TIM: So it was the natural spot for patricians to post laws for everyone to see. The Twelve Tables were etched in brass or ivory, so they couldn't be changed easily. And since they were posted, no one could claim they didn't know the law. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, the Twelve Tables covered pretty much every aspect of Roman life, marriage, trade, warfare, and the rights of citizens. One of the laws stated that women had to remain under the guardianship of a man, even as adults. An animation shows a father giving the hand of his daughter to a man. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, that wouldn't exactly fly today. The third branch of the Roman Republic was made up of two consuls who served for a year. They were elected by the Assembly, but almost always did what the Senate wanted them to do. An image shows two Roman consuls speaking to a large group. TIM: The consuls were Rome's military leaders and highest judges, and they had a lot of power. Consuls could order arrests, propose new laws, and forbid the actions of other consuls. An animation shows a man under arrest, in a wagon being pulled by horses down a Roman street. TIM: They could even nominate dictators. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, they weren't like the all-powerful rulers we think of today. These dictators didn't take command by force or have unlimited authority. They were appointed to address a specific crisis. Like, responding to a military threat, organizing an election, or overseeing religious customs. Images illustrate the duties Tim describes. TIM: Once the emergency was dealt with, the dictator stepped down. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Julius Caesar came along later and he was more like the modern dictators we're familiar with. He had absolute power and took total control over the government. An animation shows Julius Caesar in Rome. He grows from the size of a regular human into a gigantic figure towering above the city, representing his vast power. TIM: Eventually, a group of Senators fought back and ordered his execution An image shows a line of angry Senators with their arms crossed. TIM: His death sent Rome into chaos, and that was pretty much the end of the Roman Republic. An image shows upheaval and conflict among the Roman people. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right, our American republic isn't exactly the same. We've actually made some improvements. Our branches of government run on a system of checks and balances, so no one branch can get too much power over the others. Also, our women are citizens. Moby places the figure of a man and a woman on each side of the balance scale, symbolizing their equality. TIM: And all U.S. citizens can vote, regardless of gender or social status. An image shows men and women in voting booths. TIM: But we do have the Romans and their republic to thank for many of the innovations in governing that serve us today. MOBY: Beep. Tim looks at Moby's scale, with its balanced male and female figures. TIM: Hey, look at that!Category:BrainPOP Transcripts